Hi Bariatric Pals

Please help me! I'm a design student working on a Senior capstone project. I'm designing a wearable device and app for weight loss surgery patients. They will use the device and the app AFTER their surgery, to help give them support, motivation, and the tools to be successful.

My question is: if you currently use devices (FitBit, Jawbone, Fuelband, etc.) or apps (MyFitnessPal, Livestrong, LoseIt, WW, etc.) what have you noticed to be missing, specifically when considering people who have lost weight through surgery?

examples: do you customize your devices in order to track Protein? Do you set timers for a feeding schedule?

Another other insights and comments welcome as well : )

Thanks so much!

-Adrienne Pearson

aruthpearson@gmail.com

One thing that is missing is the possibility of an approach that does not focus on calories.

Another thing is the acceptance that in bariatric patients, a diet of less than 1200 calories can be perfectly healthy and adequate.

Another thing is that websites that predict rate of loss over time, like MFP, tend to overshoot the mark for bariatric patients. Because they do the simple calorie deficit math that doesn't work in reality.

Another thing is a more realistic formula of the effect of exercise on weight loss. Burning 500 calories of exercise does not have the same impact as eating 500 calories less food, no matter how much people want it to.

It is frustrating that in order to track my food and exercise, I have to ignore so much of the "helpful" advice from these apps. I guess all of my points are really closely related in that I do not buy the conventional wisdom about calories.

Appropriate and clear food measurements and options: Tablespoons, 1/8 & 1/4 cup versus grams, and liquid measure and ounces.

This is really tough for veg and fruit. One clearly stalk. Three baby carrots. How do you measure an avocado when you've had 2 slices of a large avo? That's like 1/16 the or 1/8 cup? Drives me batty if I let it.

Four pita chips. Not 28 grams!!!! Or whatever four pita chips weigh. Lol.

I love the database but man, for how sleevers eat, I waste a lot of time adjusting the measure to get the right Protein count.

Now that I'm trying to maintain by increasing calories to stop losing, I do have to pay attention to calories. Not all calories are processed the same, though. I think making that adjustment is just on me. I think this may just be a limitation of these programs?

What else....oh! The exercise database on MFP needs so much work. So many types of movement missing. Like all the different types of yoga. Different forms of dance. Martial arts. Rock climbing. Playing in the pool with your kids.

Also, when you're 5'2" "walking at 4 mph" is really a slow jog. So I burn way more than my 6'2" husband who is just walking. (I take 1.5 steps for his 1) MFP has it pretty well controlled for weight and calories burned but not by height so well, IMHO.

Now get to work! Teehee!!!

Thank you for working on this, even though I am presurgery, I have been using MFP for awhile and have been thinking about getting a matching device. While doing my research on WSL I realized that the logging apps recommend minimum calories counts that far exceed recommended plans for WLS patients for both pre-op and post-op. I think an app directed at WLS patients would allow the User to program in their surgeons specific eating plans, it is a constant on these forums to follow your surgeons directives, most are very similar but some are quite different especially between the different types of surgeries. I think they do this for liability reasons. WLS levels for Protein, hydration, and supplements tracking would be great.

I agree with exercise database immaturity comment above, some apps have great excercise but terrible food databases. A successful app would have both. I really like MFPs User generated food database. I very rarely cant find something that I have purchased at my local grocery store. I also like the recipe option.

I also agree with measurement options comment, options for smaller measurements would be key.

Having a WLS specific app would be AWESOME, I look forward to hearing about the launch!